The National Congress of Women’s Societies (NCWS) Nigeria in United States has condemned in strong terms a statement credited to the Chairman of DAAR Communications Plc. Chief Raymond Dokpesi as not well intended.
Dokpesi had indicated that the activities of Nnamdi Kanu’s Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) would jeopardize South East’s quest to produce Nigeria’s President in 2023.
The coordinator of the group in Georgia, Dr Ngozi Orabueze in a statement in Abuja described the statement as not only a distraction to the neglect of the Southeast in the political relevance of Nigeria, but also a tactic to assuage gullible south easterners of his concern for the situation in the region.
Dr Orabueze who is also the secretary general of the Indigenous Nigerians in Georgia (ING) noted that it is laughable for Chief Dokpesi to assert that Nnamdi Kanu would use militant tactics to force a Southeast President to declare independence.
She reminded Chief Dokpesi that self-determination is not a crime under the United Nations Charter so correlating Nnamdi Kanu’s self-determination to the reason why a South Easterner will not be voted in as Nigeria’s President come 2023 is deceitful and lacks sincerity.
Dr Orabueze questioned Chief Dokpesi’s thought process and asked if the thousands of lives being lost today in Nigeria through insecurity, terrorism and banditry is happening under a Southeast President.
Which is more dangerous: killing and maiming of innocent Nigerians daily and taking over their land or self-determination for freedom, equity, justice and fairness?
Dr Orabueze therefore described Chief Dokpesis comment as cynical because on one hand he is talking about not allowing UN to grant SE independence which smirks autocracy that the international body is beginning to associate Nigeria with.
On the other hand she said he is merely supporting his choice for the North East to produce the next president in 2023 because of his lack of trust for the South East.
She questioned the sincerity of Chief Dokpesi in One Nigeria if he believes that some sections of the country are more qualified to rule and unite the country than others.
Dr Orabueze maintained that there is no proven fact to such comment or assertion.
“Why force the SE then to remain in a manipulative structure and entity when you don’t trust them to rule the country?
“Rather than such shallow view, Chief Dokpesi should focus his energy on resolving the self-determination calls from Nigerian Citizens from the East, West, North and South who have lost hope in the current structure of the country due to the way it is being manipulated and managed.”
She noted that the statement by Dokpesi is not only dangerous but undermines the basic rights of Nigerians to determine how they wish to remain in the entity called Nigeria.
“Such statement also goes against the freedom of every Nigerian Citizen to aspire to the highest position in the land without fear of intimidation.”
She reminded Dokpesi that the unity of Nigeria is negotiable if such negotiation will stop the wanton loss of lives, killings, banditry and land grabbing going on today under a Northern President.
The coordinator reminded him that pushing such agenda as he opined will lead the country into more bloodshed and chaos and disintegration.
“No one wanted to feel like a second class citizen in his/her own country.”
According to her, the statement shows how out of touch some of the current political players in Nigeria are with the realities on ground.
She questioned the Chiefs quest to continue to promote a failed structure and failed leadership from the same region that has seen unprecedented deaths in the lives of Nigerians that is drifting the country into chaos.
“How does he want to justify or determine who is more qualified to rule Nigeria?
“What makes him think that himself and the current people from the North that he is promoting for Nigeria’s presidency have the monopoly of how Nigeria should be best served in the wake of current drawbacks in almost all sectors of the country’s growth including education, economy, health, security and other areas.
“Is he saying that the leadership that Nigeria currently has from the North is the best thing that could happen to Nigeria?
She called on well-meaning Nigerians to ignore such cynical comments using the IPOB leader as an excuse to promote inequity in the country and continue to engage all sections of the country in meaningful talks with a view to finding lasting and acceptable constitutional structure that will provide freedom, equity, fairness and sense of belonging for all Nigerians.”
